The Human Footprint on the Environment

The Unfortunate Ending

In Survive the Century, one of the outcomes is shown in Figure 1. Making the wrong choices can lead to death and destroying the planet, portrayed by the image. The illustration of the planet and skull with the harsh "DEAD" sign, against the red color scheme in the background invoke a sense of guilt and regret in the player. By using illustrations outcomes such as the one featured above, the creators show the permanence of the player's actions. Janet H. Murray, an American professor and author at Georgia Institute of Technology, writes in her book, Hamlet on the Holodeck: The Future of Narrative in Cyberspace, about how the creators of the game have the immense responsibility of "writing the rules for the interactor's involvement, that is, the conditions under which things will happen in response to the participant's actions... [t]he procedural author creates not just a set of scenes but a world of narrative possibilities" (Murray 151). The creators make the point that every choice matters and that there are severe consequences to humanity's actions. It shows the player how important their decisions are, as they were in control up until it was too late. The compelling image and color scheme shows the narrative possibility written into the game where the player's sense of agency is ripped away. Suddenly, the player is out of options and must consider the weight of their decisions. Through the powerful images and loss of agency, the creators force the player to face the reality of their actions, thus conveying the urgency society must act with to save the climate. (Sapna)

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